Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To wash lightly with water.
  • transitive verb To remove (soap, for example) by washing lightly in water.
  • noun The act of washing lightly.
  • noun A solution, such as water, used in rinsing.
  • noun A solution used in coloring or conditioning the hair.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To wash lightly, as by laving or bathing rather than rubbing; wash out or off with any cleansing liquid; especially, to subject to a fresh application of water in order to remove stains or impurities that may have been left from a former washing.
  • To remove by rinsing: with out, away, off, etc.
  • noun A rinsing or light washing; specifically, a renewed or final application of water or some other liquid in order to remove any impurities still remaining from a former washing.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act of rinsing.
  • transitive verb To wash lightly; to cleanse with a second or repeated application of water after washing.
  • transitive verb To cleancse by the introduction of water; -- applied especially to hollow vessels.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To wash (something) quickly using water and no soap.
  • verb transitive To remove soap from (something) using water.
  • verb UK, slang to thoroughly defeat in an argument, fight or other competition.
  • noun The action of rinsing.
  • noun Any hair dye.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the removal of soap with clean water in the final stage of washing
  • noun the act of giving a light tint to the hair
  • verb wash off soap or remaining dirt
  • noun washing lightly without soap
  • verb clean with some chemical process
  • verb rinse one's mouth and throat with mouthwash
  • noun a liquid preparation used on wet hair to give it a tint

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English rincen, from Old French rincier, from Vulgar Latin *recentiāre, from Latin recēns, recent-, fresh; see recent.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English rinsen, rensen, rinshen, rencen ("to rinse"), partly from Old Norse hreinsa ("to rinse"); and partly from Middle French rincer ("to rinse, wash"), from Old French rinser, reinser ("to rinse"), Old Northern French raïncer, raïncier ("to rinse, cleanse"), from Old Norse hreinsa ("to rinse, cleanse"), from Proto-Germanic *hrainisōnan (“to clean, purify”), from Proto-Indo-European *ker-, *kery-, *krēy- (“to separate, divide”). Cognate with Danish rense ("to purify"), Norwegian rense ("to cleanse"), Swedish rensa ("to purge, clear, wipe clean"), Old High German reinisōn ("to clean, purify, atone"), German rein ("pure, clean"), Gothic 𐌷𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃 (hrains, "clean"). More at riddle.

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Examples

  • Finally, just over half using rinse is surprisingly high to me.

    Japanese men and personal grooming: part 2 of 2 2007

  • Mokgadi, on the other hand, looked up into the dark clouds with both arms outstretched and let the rain rinse all of her cares away.

    DRIP, DRIP, DROP, LITTLE OCTOBER SHOWERS « Peace Corps South Africa 2007

  • The sun was throwing long blue shadows over the fields, brightening the trees on the river bank, with a thin rinse of pale gold.

    Purple Springs 1921

  • They may leave residues in clothes and are difficult to rinse, which is especially problematic for delicate fabrics.

    HOME COMFORTS CHERYL MENDELSON 2005

  • They may leave residues in clothes and are difficult to rinse, which is especially problematic for delicate fabrics.

    HOME COMFORTS CHERYL MENDELSON 2005

  • They may leave residues in clothes and are difficult to rinse, which is especially problematic for delicate fabrics.

    HOME COMFORTS CHERYL MENDELSON 2005

  • They may leave residues in clothes and are difficult to rinse, which is especially problematic for delicate fabrics.

    HOME COMFORTS CHERYL MENDELSON 2005

  • This provides power rinse, which is quite effective.

    March 26th, 2004 2004

  • This provides power rinse, which is quite effective.

    whyjakeisodd Diary Entry whyjakeisodd 2003

  • Pollsters can always "rinse" their data to try to correct such flaws.

    The Economist: Correspondent's diary 2010

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